Libertarian Island

Unarmed Gunman

Unarmed Gunman

Medium Pimpin'
May 2, 2007
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The D
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So the broke ass city of Detroit has a 982 acre island called Belle Isle sitting snuggly between Detroit and Canada. It's basically just a big ass park, and since the city is broke it's kinda run down.

Anyway, an interesting proposal was floated that I figured some people here might find interesting:

Here's the scenario for the Commonwealth of Belle Isle that Lockwood and others want to see: Private investors buy the island from a near-bankrupt Detroit for $1 billion. It then would secede from Michigan to become a semi-independent commonwealth like Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Under the plan, it would become an economic and social laboratory where government is limited in scope and taxation is far different than the current U.S. system. There is no personal or corporate income tax. Much of the tax base would be provided by a different property tax — one based on the value of the land and not the value of the property.


It would take $300,000 to become a "Belle Islander," though 20 percent of citizenships would be open for striving immigrants, starving artists and up-and-coming entrepreneurs who don't meet the financial requirement.
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Source - Developer pitches $1B commonwealth for Belle Isle | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com


It's an interesting concept, but according to the article it'll never happen in Detroit and knowing what I know about the fucking retards running the city, that's true. However, there are going to be quite a few municipal bankruptcies around the country in the next few years so I can see something like this happening if the situation is right.
 


knownerror said:
This is pretty interesting, it probably will happen one day. I would like to see it happen
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This is pretty interesting, it probably will happen one day. I would like to see it happen. One day something like this will happen. I hope I see the day it does happen. Things happen and this could be one of them.

*for this and any other writings, please contact me at 2-star Textbroker*
 
thehobbster said:
This is pretty interesting, it probably will happen one day. I would like to see it happen. One day something like this will happen. I hope I see the day it does happen. Things happen and this could be one of them.

*for this and any other writings, please contact me at 2-star Textbroker*
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Let me know if you are interested in my work ;)
 
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Fiver said:
Fuck the immigrants. Why would they get a part of it?
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Who the fuck you think is going to work at the Starbucks bro? It's not going to be the people that have $300k to throw down to live there.
 
This could never happen. Anyone with half a brain would know it would be very successful, drain the best and brightest talent, who are the highest taxpayers already, from both Canada and the United States. The reduction in the present tax base, the example set with a successful economy devoid of governmental intervention, and the ability of individuals to shine would all be too dangerous to the present government of elected officials and bureaucrats.

The only way this would work is by co-opting an existing county and implementing the concept. Of course, you would be vilified and attacked before the trend could take place.

See, some folks believe in the individual and some believe that success comes from the government. Those that go to work for the government in any capacity rarely come from the former group... And those that are part of the latter group will fight to maintain the power they have accrued through usurpation of the power of the government.
 
Fiver said:
Fuck the immigrants. Why would they get a part of it?
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Wut? First off, the US exists as we know it because of immigration and quite a large percent of US doctors and tech startup CEOs are immigrants, for example. Why would they want to exclude them?

Second, the idea here is not to create a new US state. This instead would be a new commonwealth, therefore everyone in it would be an immigrant. When the article mentions an exception for "striving immigrants", it is talking about people who display special effort. A doctor right of medical school might not be able to afford the $300,000, but could still provide value to the community.


"Where will the citizens of Belle Isle come from?

Again, citizens will come from all over the world. People who desire to live in a beautiful city, free from excessive government and oppressive taxation, who want unlimited opportunity to lead a life of their own making will emigrate to Belle Isle. Perhaps 50% will come from the United States, and Europe, South America and Asia will provide many also. This diverse population will make Belle Isle a very cosmopolitan city, with an interesting culture."

Commonwealth of Belle Isle | FAQs | Commonwealth of Belle Isle | Home
 
PAGING GUERILLA.

Sounds like this is a doomed idea from the start, if not for the fact that he's pitching it to the wrong people, then for the fact that uncle sam doesn't like competition that it can easily squash like a bug.

But one can dream, can't they? Perhaps this will bring more attention to seasteading and the like.
 
Article 1 Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution would prohibit the state of Michigan from seceding any U.S. territory.

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.
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Agree with Luke. You can't create it in the US without expecting a fight at some point. I am currently setting up a website for this exact purpose -- the discussion and implementation of how to go about creating a completely free society outside of any government control. Before people invest capital into a project like this I think they first need to have a full understanding of how it should be approached. I think the independent, individual city approach is a pretty sound technique granted you are completely outside of any existing government. The problem with most of these is that they are never completely outside of government and that no governments are willing to completely give up land contractually.

I think this can be done, and I think a city approach like this is probably effective since it is a scalable model with less investment than a complete nation, all the while allowing competing cities to further the cause. The more competing cities the higher quality each city will be and the harder it will be for established nations to stop. I think what is missing is the world-wide community behind it. I think we need to organize people through the Internet to get behind the effort both intellectually and financially. With an open source effort properly organized I really think something could come about from all this. My take on this is currently in the works.
 
JarredLv said:
Article 1 Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution would prohibit the state of Michigan from seceding any U.S. territory.
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Although it would not be surprising in the least for them to use that excuse, but It'd be sooooooooooo twisted & ironic that they choose to quote Article 1 Section 10 in the year 2013.

Anyone care to guess why that is?


slayerment said:
I think this can be done, and I think a city approach like this is probably effective since it is a scalable model with less investment than a complete nation, all the while allowing competing cities to further the cause. The more competing cities the higher quality each city will be and the harder it will be for established nations to stop. I think what is missing is the world-wide community behind it. I think we need to organize people through the Internet to get behind the effort both intellectually and financially. With an open source effort properly organized I really think something could come about from all this. My take on this is currently in the works.
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Amen my brother!

It's gotta happen waaaay out at sea. Like at the halfway point between continents; none of this 20-miles offshore crap. The republic of Rose island was a great demonstration of why not.

But one day when there are 20 of these awesome seasteads out there in the middle of all the world's oceans, and the economies of the world have shifted in their favor completely, I could see some real change happening for the human race, finally.
 
Something similar in NH : Free State Project - Liberty in Our Lifetime

What the Free State Project is... The Free State Project is an effort to recruit 20,000 liberty-loving people to move to New Hampshire. We are looking for neighborly, productive, tolerant folks from all walks of life, of all ages, creeds, and colors who agree to the political philosophy expressed in our Statement of Intent, that government exists at most to protect people's rights, and should neither provide for people nor punish them for activities that interfere with no one else.


When you sign our Statement of Intent, you signal your commitment to move to the chosen free state, New Hampshire, within five years of obtaining 19,999 other people who commit to move. The more signatures we get, the more secure people can be in their decision to move, because they know that many other people will also be moving— enough to make a real difference! You don't have to wait until we have 20,000 signatures to move, of course, but that option is there to let you be more secure in your decision.
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The only problem with the economic experiment is that it's basically saying "How well would a country do that only has the richest, best and brightest?". Well obviously the vast majority of the people on the island would not be starving. If however it could be filled with a demographic roughly similar to the US as it is now, that would be interesting.
 
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